Reflux Laryngitis and Related Conditions . (1999). By Robert T. Sataloff, Donald O. Castell, Philip O. Katz, & Dahlia M. Sataloff. Singular Publishing Group, Inc., 401 West A St., Suite 325, San Diego, CA 92101-7904. 124 pages, $57.95. Reviewed by Monique S. Kaye, East Orange, NJ.

This book focuses on otolaryngologic reflux and was written by several highly recognized authorities in the areas of otolaryngology, gastroenterology, and surgery. The authors felt that this book would be useful to all health care providers who may come in to contact with those patients who experience such symptoms as "postnasal" drip, recurrent sore throat, chronic cough, hoarseness, halitosis, reactive airway symptoms, and other related symptoms. According to the authors, reflux may be primarily responsible for these symptoms and, if left untreated, can lead to serious complications such as Barrett’s esophagus and cancer of the esophagus or larynx.

This book covers an overview of various topics of reflux laryngitis and other manifestations of laryngopharyngeal reflux. Various chapters include discussions on anatomy and physiology of the voice, the esophagus and its sphincters, diagnostic tests, behavioral and medical management, and surgical treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

This book provides excellent black-and-white diagrams and a good review of the anatomy and physiology of the voice and presentation of symptoms of GERD. This book may be of interest to those who would like more detailed information on laryngopharyngeal reflux, but it may be more geared towards medical professionals such as physicians and medical residents studying reflux laryngitis due to the highly technical medical information provided. It may not be particularly helpful to a speech-language pathologist other than for knowing when to refer a patient when he or she experiences such symptoms or when a patient has been diagnosed and may need clarification from a health care provider. The authors stated in the preface that patients can use this book, but it appears that it may be of too high a level for most laypersons to comprehend. Although the authors cite published studies and report a number of statistics, it may have been useful to the reader if case presentations were given. This book is not really intended for clinical use by an SLP, though SLPs were briefly mentioned for voice assessment for granulomas. This book is of minimal clinical value for the SLP other than that of interest. However, it may be highly useful for otolaryngologists and gastroenterologists.